The Firstborn
The Firstborn
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6–7).
That familiar quotation from Luke’s version of the Christmas story reminds us of another name our Lord Jesus Christ wears: “the firstborn.” This title is applied to Christ in at least six different verses in the New Testament, so it’s worthy of our study.
“Firstborn” was an important word to the Jewish people because the firstborn son in the family inherited many rights and privileges that his siblings didn’t enjoy. The firstborn son received the family birthright, the patriarchal blessing, and a double portion of the inheritance (Deut. 21:15–17).[1]
In the Bible, “firstborn” doesn’t necessarily mean “born first.” Several times in the Old Testament, the Lord gave the rights of the firstborn to somebody else in the family.[2] Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son, but God gave the inheritance to Isaac; Esau was Isaac’s firstborn, but the blessing went to Jacob. When Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, he reversed the birth order and gave the blessing to Ephraim, the second-born, not to Manasseh, the firstborn (Gen. 48). David wasn’t Jesse’s firstborn, but God made David his firstborn and gave him the throne of Israel (Ps. 89:19–29).
“Firstborn” is a title of position and dignity. The Lord Jesus Christ was indeed Mary’s firstborn Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of her virgin womb. According to Mark 6:3, Mary and Joseph had children in the normal course of their marriage, but our Lord was born in a very special way; Joseph was Jesus’ foster father, not his biological father. When Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus, he was literally her firstborn, but later she had children by Joseph.[3]
So the term “firstborn” in the Bible carries with it the idea of dignity and priority. Whoever was firstborn was designated as the very special son in the family. In Exodus 4:22 we read that God designated the people of Israel as his firstborn.[4] So if we think of the word “firstborn” as meaning “priority, superiority, the highest of the high,” we will have no problem applying this title to the Lord Jesus Christ.
A careful consideration of the “firstborn” references to Jesus in the New Testament will give us a better understanding of four different aspects of his person and his work:
“He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15).
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He [His Son] might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).
“But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’” (Heb. 1:6).
“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead. . . .” (Rev. 1:5).
The Firstborn over All Creation
He is “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). The major theme of Colossians is the preeminence of Jesus Christ: “That in all things He [Jesus Christ] may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). Paul declares that “Christ is all, and in all” (Col. 3:11).
Christ Is Preeminent
Paul makes it clear that Jesus Christ is preeminent in salvation. “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:12). “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). Our Lord is preeminent in salvation because he is the only Savior of the world.
He is also preeminent in creation. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by Him all things were created.” If that’s the case, then he himself was not created. Some cultists want us to believe that Jesus Christ was a created being, the highest of the created beings, and therefore not eternal God. But Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created.” Therefore he is not a created thing, for he had to be there before creation in order to create all things.
Note that “all things” includes all things “that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [hold together]” (Col. 1:16–17). How could anybody read that passage and conclude that Jesus was not eternal God?
Now, if Jesus Christ is preeminent in creation and redemption, should he not be preeminent in our lives and in his church? “And He is the head of the body, the church. . .that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
The Highest of All
What does it mean that Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation”? It means that he is the highest of everything in creation. Remember, “firstborn” carries with it the idea of priority, superiority, the highest of the high. The Lord Jesus Christ is superior to everything in creation because he existed prior to creation and he made everything in creation. “All things were made through Him” (John 1:3). “All things were created through Him and for him” (Col. 1:16), and all things are held together by his power. This makes him the highest of the high in all creation.
The Practical Meaning
Why are we having ecological problems today? We have problems with water pollution and air pollution, the wasting of natural resources and the destroying of the beauties and the bounties of nature. Ecological problems are leading to economic problems which, in turn, are leading to political problems.
But why do we have these problems? Primarily, it’s because we don’t believe in creation anymore. We’ve taken Christ out of his place of preeminence as the firstborn of all creation, and we’re now worshiping and serving the creature instead of the Creator (Rom. 1:25).
We don’t see ourselves as stewards of God’s gifts in creation; we see ourselves as the masters of the earth. As a result, we have ugliness instead of beauty, destruction instead of growth and development, waste instead of conservation, and greed instead of sharing. We are destroying the very earth God gave us to care for and use for his glory.
People worship the things of creation, the things that they manufacture, instead of the God who gives us these things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). When Jesus Christ is given his proper place as the firstborn of all creation, these problems will be solved. We’ll look upon creation as something he has made to be used to glorify and serve him.
We look forward to that day when Jesus will come again and creation will be delivered from bondage and corruption (Rom. 8:18–22). Then we will have a world filled with beauty and harmony, glory and blessing, because the firstborn of all creation, Jesus Christ, will be reigning supremely.
Idolatry
To worship creation rather than the Creator is idolatry, and the Bible condemns idolatry. To become idolaters, we don’t have to make ugly idols of wood and stone and fall down to worship them. No, we can make beautiful idols of wood, stone, metal, glass, plastic, and fabric—idols like houses, cars, boats, jewelry, wardrobes, expensive “collectables,” furniture, stocks and bonds, and bank accounts. These are the idols that fascinate and control people today and for which they’ll sacrifice almost anything.
Does Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, have the preeminence in the way we use the wealth he gives us? Do we see ourselves as stewards of his gracious gifts? Are we faithful to use what he gives us for the good of others and the glory of God? The answers we give to these important questions will help to determine whether or not Jesus is preeminent in our lives.
The Firstborn from the Dead
Jesus Christ is not only the firstborn of all creation, but he is also the firstborn from the dead. He is given this title by Paul in Colossians 1:18 and by the apostle John in Revelation 1:5.
Not the First One Raised
“Firstborn from the dead” doesn’t imply that Jesus Christ was the first person ever raised from the dead, because he wasn’t. In the Old Testament, at least three people were raised from the dead: the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:22), the Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:34–35), and the anonymous man put into Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20–21). We have the record of Jesus raising at least three people from the dead (Luke 7:14–15; 8:52–56; and John 11), and it’s likely he raised many more (Matt. 11:5).
The title means “the highest and greatest of all who have been raised from the dead.” In what ways is Jesus the greatest of all who have been raised from the dead?
He Raised Himself
He is the highest of those who have been raised from the dead because he raised himself by his own power. Our Lord knew he was going to be raised from the dead and he announced it to his disciples (Matt. 16:21; 17:22; 20:17–19). In fact, he raised himself from the dead. “I have power [authority] to lay it [my life] down, and I have power [authority] to take it again” (John 10:18). Lazarus didn’t raise himself from the dead, nor did Jairus’s daughter or the son of the widow of Nain. But Jesus raised himself from the dead, and this makes him the highest of all who have ever been raised from the dead.
He Can Never Die Again
Not only was he raised from the dead by his own power, but he was raised never to die again. Lazarus died again, Jairus’s daughter died again, and so did the son of the widow of Nain. But the Lord Jesus cannot and will not die. He lives “according to the power of an endless life” (Heb. 7:16). Having conquered death, he’s now reigning in heaven, and death has no dominion over him. He is the firstborn from among the dead, the highest and the greatest, because he raised himself, never to die again.
He Can and Will Raise Others
He raised himself from the dead and one day he will raise others. We have no record in Scripture that anyone who was raised from the dead ever raised anybody else from the dead. But Jesus will one day return and manifest his resurrection power and authority. He will raise believers to everlasting life, but the unbelieving dead will be raised to face eternal judgment (John 5:24–30; 1 Thess. 4:14–18; Rev. 20:4–6, 11–15).[5]
Christ “has abolished death [rendered it ineffective] and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). Those who have trusted Christ need not fear death because Jesus is the firstborn from the dead and has conquered death. Death could not hold him (Acts 2:24), and death will not hold us when he calls us to come to be with him.
The Firstborn Among Many Brethren
Romans 8:29 is the third reference to Jesus Christ as the firstborn: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He [the Son] might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Jesus Christ came and died that he might save sinners and share God’s riches with all who will believe in him. It has well been said that God loves his Son so much that he wants everybody else to be just like him. One day you and I will experience the miracle of becoming just like Jesus. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10). These are the “many brethren” of Romans 8:29.[6] If Jesus is “the firstborn among many brethren,” then his “family” will one day be like him and share his home forever. What he is now, we one day shall be. Jesus is the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) who died to rescue Adam’s sinful race. But he is also “the second Man” (1 Cor. 15:47), because there will be others like him! The church is called “the church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23). In one sense, we are the church of the “twice-born.” In our first birth, we were unacceptable to God (Eph. 2:1–3), but because of our second birth through faith in Christ, we now have a new nature, the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Because we belong to Jesus Christ, we belong to the church of the firstborn, and one day we will share in Christ’s glory. He is “the firstborn among many brethren,” which assures us that we will be like him. Under the Old Testament Law, the firstborn son inherited twice as much as the others, and he kept it to himself. But Jesus has inherited all things (Heb. 1:2) and he shares his inheritance with all of his brethren!
When will this happen? Hebrews 1:6 gives the answer. The writer is referring to our Lord’s coming. “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’” Some Bible students believe that this verse refers to Christ’s birth at Bethlehem, but I believe the word “again” relates it to the day when Jesus comes again. When God’s firstborn returns, all the angels of God will worship him.
When Jesus came to this planet the first time, the angels worshiped him and sang his praises (Luke 2:8–14). At Bethlehem, he came in humility and weakness; but when he comes again he will come in glory and power. No wonder the angels will sing his praises! When he came the first time, he was a baby in a manger; but when he comes again, he will be the Mighty Conqueror. When he came to Bethlehem it was to accomplish salvation; but when he comes again, it will mean condemnation for his enemies. When he came the first time he wore a crown of thorns; but when he comes again, he will wear a crown of victory.
Jesus Christ is God’s firstborn and he will inherit all things and share them with God’s family. I trust that you know him as your Savior so that you are sharing in his inheritance today (Eph. 1:3) and looking forward to sharing his glorious inheritance for all eternity.